Question on Monster Attacks

[i_sheol]

Simple question for a newbie.

...when a monster attack listing says, say, 2 claws as its
primary attack, does it get TWO seperate attack rolls - one for each claw.

Example Listing:
Attack: 2 claws +10 melee, bite +10 melee.

This means its primary attack is TWO claw attacks (DM rolls twice against
one or more opponents). As a Full Attack it can get a bite on top of its two
claws.

Am I reading this right?

 

[Ranes]

As I understand it, you are reading this kind of entry correctly.

 

[Hypersmurf]

If it's not making a Full Attack - standard action, partial action, AoO, Charge, etc - it gets one claw attack.

If it makes a Full Attack, it gets two claw attacks (separate rolls) plus a bite.

The place people get confused is between "2 claws +5 melee", which is two separate attacks, and falls afoul of the "only one attack except with a Full Attack Action" rule, and "claws +5 melee", such as for a hawk, where the hawk uses both claws, but only rolls one attack and one set of damage.

-Hyp.

 

[Ranes]

Thanks, Hyp, for straightening that out. Apologies, i_sheol, for my misleading reply. I've read a lot of Hypersmurf's posts. I'd defer to him every time.

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'd defer to him every time.

Ooh, my very own lackey?

Fetch me my pipe, and my bowl, and my fiddlers three!

-Hyp.

 

[i_sheol]

Hmmm...well then. It looks like I am seeing it wrong all this time. It did dawn on me that only 1 claw would apply here unless a full attack. But it fits the rules as written. I hope they clarified this text in the revised MM.

--Kurt

 

[Ranes]

Ooh, my very own lackey?

Fetch me my pipe...

I'm sorry but sir only has a few papers left.

 

[Hypersmurf]

No, one attack fits the rules as written.

With a full attack, something would usually get something like 2 claws +10 melee, bite +5 melee.

The two claws are its primary attack, and use its primary attack bonus. The bite is a secondary attack, and uses primary bonus -5 (unless it has the Multiattack feat, when it uses primary bonus -2).

On a normal attack, it only makes one attack roll - one claw, the other claw, or the bite - and whichever it chooses, it uses the primary attack bonus. So while in a Full Attack, it bites at +5, with an AoO it could bite at +10.

-Hyp.

 

[Ranes]

Hmmm...well then. It looks like I am seeing it wrong all this time. It did dawn on me that only 1 claw would apply here unless a full attack. But it fits the rules as written. I hope they clarified this text in the revised MM.

--Kurt

The entry format does allow misinterpretation such as yours and mine but the last paragraph of MM p7, first column, (which I should have checked first - mea culpa) does indeed make it clear the Hyp is correct.

 

[i_sheol]

On a normal attack, it only makes one attack roll - one claw, the other claw, or the bite - and whichever it chooses, it uses the primary attack bonus. So while in a Full Attack, it bites at +5, with an AoO it could bite at +10.

-Hyp.

I understand. I was not under the impression though that the monster has a choice regarding what its primary weapon was, like you describe. I though the bite in this case would always be considered a secondary, and thus wouldn't be useable for a standard attack.